DIY Network

Dr. Karen's Tips Dr. Karen has advice to offer Claire and Amanda. From "Barkitecture" episode DBAR-108

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	A motion-activated water system ensures fresh water for your dog.
	Feeding multiple dogs in separate bowls alleviates fighting.
	Heartworm preventatives such as tablets or chewables are very effective.

Tips:

• The best option for making sure outside dogs have water all summer is to have a motion-activated water system. The motion of an animal getting close activates it providing fresh water.

• Amanda has been feeding Tattoo and Elvis with one big bowl of food. Dr. Karen suggests she really needs to feed the dogs in separate bowls to alleviate any fighting or territorial behavior. Also, separating pets during feeding allows for regulation of diets.

Heartworm Prevention

Heartworm disease is serious and has been diagnosed in all 50 states and worldwide. When a dog is infected with heartworms, a mosquito has bitten the pet and injected larvae. These larvae get into the dog's heart and grow into adult worms in about seven months. The worms can block blood vessels and cause damage to the dog's lungs. It's very important to start your dog on preventative care. Puppies are started at about eight weeks of age and any dog over seven months is tested for heartworms before they start a preventative. There are a couple different types of preventatives such as tablets and chewables and they are given once a month. There is also a topical treatment that is given monthly and is applied between the shoulder blades underneath the hair of the dog. Make sure that if you miss a treatment for your dog that you contact your veterinarian because it may be necessary to have your dog tested again.

RESOURCES :

Young-Williams Animal Center
Website: www.knoxpets.org

The American Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)
Website: www.aspca.org

Petfinder.com
Website: www.petfinder.com